Every time I see or hear the number 11, I think Spinal Tap. So when I saw Chris Penn’s post 11 Little Secrets, my mind of course flashed to that scene.
As it turns out, Penn’s post had nothing to do with Spinal Tap, other than perhaps a subliminal message. Instead, the article was about how we tend to look for the next big thing – the secret, the silver bullet. While focusing on the war, we forget to think about the battles (not sure if that analogy holds – ha ha). Either way, Chris created his list of 11 little secrets. Inspired by his words, Olivier Blanchard added Another 11 Little Secrets. Since we all know good things come in threes, it’s now my turn.
DJ’s 11 Little Secrets
In no particular order…
- Smile and laugh: If you are not smiling or laughing at some point during every single day, you’re doing something wrong. I realize that some days it can be tough. There are days where it seems everything goes wrong. Find a way. Read an email from a friend that makes you smile. Watch a YouTube video that forces a laugh. Look at a picture of a family member. Hint: I keep a bookmarked folder of websites that make me smile and videos that make me laugh. I’d be happy to share! This video – One Semester of Spanish – Love Song – always makes me laugh (as does Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell).
- Make someone else smile and laugh: Building on #1, laughter is contagious. Spread the love. Take those same videos and share them with a friend (or acquaintance or stranger) who may be having a less-than-awesome day. If you are into Social Media, Twitter and Facebook tend to be good places to share these. Send ’em a link. Play the “I bet I can make you smile in less than 5 seconds” game. Trust me. It works.
- Coffee + Water. It’s no secret that I love coffee. I blame my parents who are both coffee freaks. Every morning I freshly grind my coffee beans and dump them in an 8 cup french press. I’m using 2 large cups of coffee in by 7AM. However, similar to Chris Penn, I also balance my coffee consumption with at least 7x more water during the day. While it leads to a bunch of bathroom trips, it’s well worth it.
- Get up early. Similar to most growing up, I could sleep in. My record in college was 4pm. I may have been out a bit late the night before, but either way. Now, at the ripe age of 34, I’m a morning person. I never thought I’d type those words, but I love the mornings. Again, like Chris, it’s often my most productive time. I don’t check email. I don’t make phone calls. I’m not on IM or Facebook or Twitter. I don’t interact with humans at all. It’s my time. I’m usually out of bed by 6AM. Thanks to Eva Claire, that schedule is flexible.
- Multi-task. My mom tells me this is not a good thing. I have the ability to do 14 tasks at once. I’m not talking about walking and chewing gum. I mean talking on the phone, IMing, replying to an email, rocking Eva, drinking coffee, etc. My mom is likely correct. I can’t be as efficient, but in my role as Director of Community at Blue Sky Factory, it kinda is part of the job description. That being said…
- Remove distractions when necessary. When I need to hammer out a blog post or really dig down into a complex problem, I’ll turn off all distractions. Sometimes I set the alarm for “power hours.” I actually learned this one from Matt Williamson, a good friend (former “boss”), and current VP of Sales at Bronto. When I was on his sales team, we turned off all distractions and did outbound calling for an hour straight. It worked.
- Workout during the day. Some people prefer early AM workouts; others hit the gym after work. When I lived in Durham and worked at Bronto, the YMCA was literally 100 yards from our office. I worked out a lunch. Now, living in Salt Lake and working from home, I go to the JCC several times a week for a 9AM class. Since I’m an early riser (see #4), by the time I’m at the gym it’s nearly the middle of my day. I’ve found the mid-day workouts help keep me going for the rest of the day. Anyone else think it’s funny that the last two gyms I’ve belonged to were the Y and the J?
- Cook. Kristina and I love to cook. My mother and stepdad signed us up for Fine Cooking magazine a few years ago. We often make 2-3 new dishes per week. Sometimes, I’ll even experiment with things like pickled ginger (Yeah. I made that.). Cooking allows us to have some time just the two (now 3) of us, experiment a bit, and (bonus) eat good food!
- Bacon and Beer. I realize that neither are all that healthy for you, but I love them both, sometimes together. It’s okay to indulge yourself once in awhile. However, moderation is the key. I don’t drink beer every day (nor do I binge). I don’t scarf down a pound of bacon every day (although I’d like to). Live it up!
- Do something unique. I’m all about trying new things. Whether it’s camping out overnight to be the 4th person in line for the opening of In ‘N Out Burger in Salt Lake or going snowshoeing or ice climbing, or even getting up on stage to talk about DUDE for 5 minutes, I’m always up for a new adventure. No regrets, right? Too often in life I hear, “I wish I had…” Not me. Not you. Do something bold.
- Have passion. Scott Cohen argues that Passion Can’t Be Taught. I kinda agree with him. You either have it or you don’t. However, I think (nearly) everyone has it. Some have it for email marketing and social media (me) and others have it for World of Warcraft (Chris Penn). Some are even into building and fighting model battleships. Whatever it is, find that passion and live it every day.
Finally, this should not be a secret, but take time with your family. They should be the most important thing in your life. Because of my love for so many other things, I sometimes need to be slapped in head (thank, Kristina) on this one. Family. Family. Family.
Now it’s your turn. What are your 11 secrets? Share them in the comments. Blog about them. Call and tell me. IM them. Post ’em to Facebook or Twitter. Spell them out in a video. Go.
Image Credit: kichigai
DJ Waldow
@djwaldow
